ADVICE AND NOTES FOR MENTAL HEALTH STARTING IN 2024

Hello friends, and Happy New Year! Since I’ve written several New Year’s posts on this blog, I thought I’d try my hand at it then in 2024. In past years, my messages virtually the new year have varied greatly. Early on in this blog’s history, I wrote well-nigh my rejection of New Year’s resolutions and the pressure they put on us. A few years ago, I reflected on how I’d like to start the new year off right. And last year, I reflected on how I wanted to tideway 2023. In reading these posts, I’ve come to see the ways I’ve reverted (and yes, grown) in the years of writing this blog. This year, I’d like to take the focus off me and put it when on mental health. There are many ways we can try to grow in the new year, but how can we do it with our mental health? Here are five mental health tips as you build and grow your mental wellness in 2024.

Take off from where you are.

When it comes to mental health and wellness, it’s important to know where to start. And the fact is, we’re all at variegated points on our mental health journeys — and that’s okay. Not only is it okay, but it’s as it should be. I can’t tell you how many times I grew frustrated when I would goof at something related to my mental health while seeing someone else succeed. I thought I was doing something wrong when in fact, it just wasn’t the right time for me. Now is the time for an honest assessment: how is your mental health? Are you prioritizing it in the way you deserve? This looks variegated for everyone, so it’s important to be honest and unshut with yourself.

Awareness is just the first step.

One of the most important things I’ve learned well-nigh mental health is that when we discover something well-nigh ourselves we’d like to work on, it doesn’t magically go away. That’s often when the real work begins. Many of us have experienced cognitive distortions, negative thoughts and other mental health challenges for years without fully understanding what they are. Awareness is valuable, but it’s not a cure. Once I wonted this, it was easier to move forward.

There will be bumps in the road.

There’s a worldwide misconception that once someone starts working on their mental health, life will get…easier, let’s say. Or that we’ve “fixed” the problem considering we’ve undisputed that something isn’t as it should be. And while we should requite people their flowers for choosing themselves and prioritizing mental health, I wouldn’t want someone to think that’s all they have to do. There will be bumps withal the way, the same way there are for so many things we do in life. Mental health is a lifelong journey, and unsuspicious that there will be both ups and downs helps in the long run.

Find techniques that work for YOU.

This point is very important to me considering it’s one of my cadre beliefs surrounding mental health. In the culture we’ve created, things wilt popular when they work for a wide number of people, which can create unrealistic expectations. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten frustrated with a “life hack” or “mental health tip” that seemed to work for so many people – but not me! It’s taken a long time to come to the understanding that I don’t need to find things that “work”; I need to find what works for me. Once I shifted that lens, I was worldly-wise to focus increasingly on myself, making my mental health increasingly manageable.

Not everything is relevant to you – and that’s okay

This is similar to what I just wrote, but I’d like to elaborate considering it’s an important point to make. Not everything we learn well-nigh mental health will be relevant for us. There are so many variegated tips and tricks, myriad diagnoses and ways to evaluate mental health and wellness, and various ways to tideway all these challenges. While you do want to focus on your own mental health, seeing the worthier picture is extremely valuable for everyone. Mental health impacts everyone, and the increasingly we connect the dots, the increasingly we can see how it helps shape the world virtually us.

Now, over to you! What mental health tips would you like to share as we start flipside new year? Let me know in the comments below!